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Suppose your doctor told you that if you consume any more pizza and beer, your insides would rot out. Most of us would give up pizza and beer, however reluctantly. That is exactly what has happened to millions of Americans diagnosed with Celiac. People with Celiac disease, as it's called, are unable to eat the gluten found in many foods such as pizza and beer as well as most bread flours, such as wheat, rye and barley. The disease destroys the lining in the small intestine, which interferes with the body's absorption of food. Celiac disease, also known as gluten intolerance, is a genetic disorder. Savvy operators who follow trends and program their menu accordingly may want to keep an eye on the horizon for the growth of gluten-free pizza.
Grow the Numbers
The National Institute of Health estimates that celiac disease may affect as many as 3 million Americans, or about one in every 133 people. Symptoms of celiac disease range from diarrhea, weight loss, to malnutrition. The trigger may be environmental (overexposure to wheat), situational (severe emotional stress), physical (pregnancy or surgery), or pathological (a viral infection).
Is it worth it to cater to celiacs, you might ask, when they make up such a small demographic in numbers? Well, the answer is, of course, all those celiacs have friends and family, not to mention teammates, co-workers, fellow parishioners, etc. If you offer a gluten-free pizza, particularly, if you offer it on a specific night, say, Tuesdays, you might be surprised at your turnout. There have been reports of some celiac diners actually being reduced to tears when they are finally able to finally enjoy a delicious pizza without hurting their health or causing rashes.
If you'd like to try your hand at a gluten-free pizza, here are some basic rules of thumb: try 13-inch trays that are used only for the gluten-free crust, which requires rice flour. It is critical to keep cross contamination with your regular dough to a minimum. Whoever makes the gluten-free dough should wash their hands every time they come in contact with the regular flour. For the most part, toppings can be gluten-free: fresh vegetables, pepperoni, hamburger and bacon can all be obtained gluten-free.
The gluten-free crust will cost about $3 to make. Eighty pounds of rice flour sells for approximately $180 and can make between 100 and 110 crusts. The dough has to be mixed by hand because the flour is harder to manage than regular flour. You also have to make the crusts as soon as the dough is made, spreading it in the trays by hand and cooking it. With regular flour, the crust rises, regardless of the thickness of the dough. With a gluten-free crust, you may find that cooking it hardens it a bit, and it's fairly soft, so it takes longer to cook than a normal pizza.
If you cook the crusts in aluminum pans, then freeze them, they can be offered in-store or as a take-and-bake option. Under this formulation, the price for a cooked pizza would be around $13.95. If the customer wants just the crust, a good suggested price would be in the $7.99 range.
If you offer libations at your pizzeria, wine, rum, tequila, and sake are usually safe, as their alcohols do not generally come from toxic grains. Many types of liquor, however, are made with grain alcohol and may be suspect. Whiskey, bourbon, gin and rye are definitely off the list, since they are made with rye and barley. Beer, too, must be avoided, since malt (usually from barley) is an ingredient. Even rice beers use malt.
West to East
For years the best pizza in Kuna, Idaho was The Pit Stop, owned by Bob Bachman. When a friend of Bob's, Anna, came to visit, she had just recently been diagnosed with Celiac disease. When Anna and her husband, Josh, arrived, Bob mixed up a special gluten-free pizza. It was such a hit with his friends that Bob decided to close down the Pit Stop and sell his gluten-free crust full-time, and thus, Dad's Gluten-Free Crust, was born. (glutenfreepizza.com)
Bob sold the business to Tim Kelly last year, and Tim has taken the concept and, with family members pitching in alongside part-time employees, Tim says Dad's is currently producing 2,200 crusts per quarter. He is in talks with colleges and hospitals to expand his offerings, as well as, Whole Foods and Fred Myer (owner of Kroger) about distribution deals. Currently his gluten-free crust is in 60 stores, mostly on the East Coast. His distributor is Garden Spot Distributors out of New Holland, PA.
"We make it in 10 inch pans and then vacuum seal them individually and they are stored frozen," Tim says. "There are no preservatives but the vacuum seal allows them to defrost and not go bad right away. They will stay good in a vacuum seal for a good 2 weeks but they should be kept frozen for storage and can be defrosted in the fridge before use."
Tim, who managed pizzerias in Simi Valley, Calif. before moving to Idaho, had a special reason to become interested in gluten-free foods. His youngest son is autistic and while he isn't suffering from celiac, the diet used to treat autism is also gluten-free.
"His diet has to be gluten-free and diary-free, so my wife and I have spent a lot of time on the Internet and in libraries finding out all we can about what's out there," Tim says. "We definitely saw a shortage of good gluten-free pizza, so we want to help fill that gap. We all love pizza."
Like many operators, Tim isn't content to sit back and wait for customers to come to him. He recently attended a conference in Seattle called DAN (Defeat Autism Now). Among the doctors and speakers and vendors in attendance were many suffering from celiac.
"We set up a booth and gave out samples," Tim recalls. "You know the crust is so good, you can eat it with maple syrup. In the morning, we gave out crust as cinnamon sticks. That afternoon, we gave it out with pizza sauce on it and just had a swarm of people. For people who haven't had a pizza in years, it's like rediscovering a lost friend"
Gluten Juju in Maine
Pizza - both takeout and in the pizzeria - is back on the menu for those on Cape Cod who must eat a gluten-free diet. BZ's Pizza & Mexican in Dennisport has combined forces with Good Juju Bakery in South Yarmouth to make it happen.
''We have created a special section of the kitchen where we will prepare the gluten-free pizza, to avoid contact with wheat-containing items,'' says BZ's owner Roger Balestri, who says he has customers with the diet restriction. Bob has educated himself on how items must be prepared to minimize the possibility of contact with menu items that do contain gluten. With a special kitchen area set up and the use of Good Juju Bakery's gluten-free pizza crusts, Balestri says he can reduce risks of gluten cross-contamination. However, he pulls no punches when offering his gluten-free food.
''Cross-contact is, of course, a possibility due to the fact that most of our items do contain gluten, so we ask that our gluten-free clients enjoy (the gluten-free pizza) at their own risk.'' BZ's offers gluten-free pizza on its daily menu and has a ''Gluten-Free Pizza Night'' every Monday.
''There is a great sense of feeling 'normal' when you can sit down in a restaurant (and) order a gluten-free meal,'' says Judith Mann, owner of Good Juju Bakery. ''I feel confident about this collaboration.''
Help is on the way
The folks at Juju also reach out to celiacs in their community. They regularly offer demonstrations on how to convert regular recipes to gluten-free at local support group meetings for celiac sufferers. In fact, a quick search of the Internet will reveal just how in demand gluten-free foods are becoming. Many pizzerias coast to coast are setting up special areas of their kitchens to provide gluten-free items. The celiac community is also online in blogs and newsletters trading the latest information on this growing food trend. Check around your market. You might be surprised to find a growing, untapped audience right there in your area, waiting to enjoy – and pay for- your gluten-free pizza.
Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Recipe
3/4 cup brown or white rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons guar gum
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon oil
Mix all dry ingredients - rice flour, potato starch, sugar, guar gum, yeast, sea salt and oregano. In an electric mixer bowl, combine water, vinegar and oil. Slowly add dry ingredients. Beat at medium speed for 3 minutes. Shape onto pizza pan. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 10 minutes.
Sauce
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large tomatoes, peeled
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black peppercorn
Cook onion, green pepper and garlic in olive oil in saucepan until tender. Add rest of ingredients, breaking up tomatoes. Heat to boiling. Cover; reduce heat and simmer to desired thickness, about 20 to 30 minutes.
Yield: about 2 cups.
Assembly:
12-inch gluten-free crust
2/3 cup homemade sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups coarse chopped mushrooms
1 cup ground pork, precooked
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
Place prebaked crust on a baking sheet. Lightly grease the pizza crust with olive oil before putting toppings on so they don't seep into the crust.
Spread sauce on crust and build the pizza by adding cheese, precooked ground pork or other meat, cheese, mushrooms and spices or toppings of your choice.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 375 degrees.
(Note: Instead of baking, the pizza can be grilled. First, grill the crust alone on medium heat, then put on a work surface with grilled side up and assemble the pizza. Then grill on low heat for 7 minutes.)
